What does the term “Legacy Systems” mean to you? What image does it conjure up?

Well, the word “legacy” can mean “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.” For example, the “legacy of the ancient philosophers”, or perhaps “legacy of ancient IT professionals.” A legacy is something that is passed from one generation to the next. That next generation may not have asked for this gift, but they must accept it nonetheless.

Legacy Systems

According to Technopedia, and in the context of computing, the definition of a legacy system is “outdated computer systems, programming languages or application software that are used instead of available upgraded versions. The system still meets the needs it was initially designed for, but doesn’t allow for growth. Not surprisingly, this definition doesn’t quite hit the target because not only does a legacy system not allow for growth – it can leave organisations exposed to a number of risks.

The UK Government states that “legacy technology can refer to an organisation’s IT infrastructure and systems, hardware, and related business processes.” Technology becomes legacy because any or all of the following points become true:

  • The technology is out of support from the supplier, i.e., has reached its end-of-life.
  • The technology is impossible to update.
  • It is no longer cost-effective to maintain the technology.
  • The technology exceeds the acceptable risk threshold.

There are many examples of legacy systems in operation today, and they operate at the highest levels of society and at the heart of some of the most influential and important institutions that we can imagine. But removing legacy systems could be extremely problematic. They may be integral to the safe running of a critical service, or perhaps even critical national infrastructure (CNI).

Legacy of (Read more...)